The Malik Report

Via RedWingsFeed, I was wondering why MLive’s Brendan Savage was furiously writing away on his laptop, and here’s the reason: Savage has the scoop as to why free agent defenseman and Western Univeristy of Michigan junior Danny DeKeyser isn’t at the Red Wings’ summer development camp, and he clarifies why Calle Jarnkrok (took part in the World Championships) and Gustav Nyquist aren’t here as well:

He wasn’t going to go to any camps this year,” assistant general manager Jim Nill said this morning. “Every team is after him. He decided not to go into any camps. He wanted to focus on training. He was here last year.”

DeKeyser decided to remain at WMU, where he’s played the last two years, and hone his skills for at least one more season rather than giving the NHL a shot.

The Red Wings also invited Swedish center Calle Jarnkrok, their second-round draft pick (51st overall) from 2010 but understood when he also declined to attend.

“He played in the World Championships” that ended in late May, Nill said. “What happens is the European teams start their training camps in the next week or two. So to have him fly over here ... he needs a break, too.”

Jarnkrok will return to Europe for at least one more season since he’s not eligible to join the Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit’s top farm club, until 2013-14.

Gustav Nyquist was in a similar situation to Jarnkrok.

“His season just ended, too,” Nill said. “Same thing. It’s a lot of hockey and flying back and forth.”

If I recall correctly, Jarnkrok has been released by Brynas IF to take part in the prospect tournament and main camp.

Jarnkrok got off because he played into the middle of May, and according to, if I remember correctly, Hockeysverige.se’s Uffe Bodin (great guy by the way), the Wings and Jarnkrok agree that as he’s probably still all of 170 pounds, so he rather desperately needs to gain weight and strength or he’s going to get pushed all over the place come fall.

Nyquist is technically an NHL’er and I might also suggest that, “He played into May” might be code for, “He’s got some nagging injury we don’t want to aggravate.”

Yeah they mentioned more than a week ago, George listed it among the 2,000 threads lately, that the Wings agreed Jarnkrok should stay in Sweden and work on conditioning and take a break. No surprise or anything sketchy about it.

Posted by
RWBill
from swimming in the ocean with narwhals. on 07/08/12 at 09:48 PM ET

I’m wondering why Savage claims that Jarnkrok is ineligible for the AHL since that’s not true at all.

Savage also claimed that both Chelios boys were at camp. He was told this was a mistake and failed to correct it. Going so far as to belittle the information. Even after being given 3 links (one from the Wings official site, one from the arena, and one from the Hawks official site), he still didn’t correct his story and worse yet posted another story with the incorrect roster…

so don’t be surprised by it….his fact checking doesn’t go into great detail it seems.

Posted by
dca
from in Mich on 07/08/12 at 10:29 PM ET

Thanks for the heads up dca. I just thought it was common knowledge by now that the under 20 restriction only applies to CHL draftees.

The Wings would like to get a closer look at Jarnkrok at training camp in the fall, Nill said, but the Swedish team first must grant Jarnkrok permission to attend the camp in Traverse City. Because he’s a European player under IIHF guidelines, he either has to make the Wings or be sent back to Brynas, and certainly with the Wings’ depth, there’s little chance Jarnkrok could crack Detroit’s roster.

But they’re “hoping” that Jarnkrok will remain in the Swedish Eliteserien for another season, even though Jarnkrok’s too young to do anything but play in Sweden unless he makes the Wings’ roster (the NHL’s transfer agreement with Sweden and Finland mandates that draft picks remain with their club teams for 2 years after they’ve been drafted):

Couldn’t find the wording that would satisfy Garth for the guidelines, but smarter people than I say it is in place.

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